1. Bosch 8X PRO Wood Brad Point Drill Bit Set — the one to reach for
This is the set that lives in the drill drawer. A brad point is a twist bit made for timber: instead of the blunt tip on a metal bit, it has a sharp centre point — the “brad” — with two little cutting spurs either side of it. The point bites where you marked and stops the bit skating off, and the spurs slice the rim of the hole first so the edge comes out crisp instead of furry. For dowel joints, door hinges, shelf pins and screwing hardware to timber, that clean rim is what you are paying for.
Eight sizes from 3 to 10mm cover the holes a home project needs, and Bosch is a name you can stand behind at this price. The catch is the ceiling: 10mm is as big as it goes, so the moment you need a 20mm hole for a cable or a dowel bigger than a pencil, you’re reaching for one of the other two sets below. The sizes step up in clean 1mm jumps, so there is a bit for the pilot and a bit for the final hole without hunting for a gap. If you only buy one wood set, buy this one and add the big-hole bits when a job needs them.
2. Diablo 6 pc SPEEDemon Spade Bit Set — for big holes in a hurry
A spade bit — some call it a paddle bit — is a flat blade with a point in the middle, and it exists to make big holes fast. When you’re running electrical cable, water pipe or conduit through timber studs and joists, you just need a wide hole, fast — the edges don’t matter where nobody sees them. A spade bores one in seconds, and a brad point that big would cost a fortune. This Diablo set has a threaded SPEED-TIP that self-feeds: the tip screws into the wood and pulls the bit forward, so you only have to guide it. Spurs on the rim cut the outline before the blade lifts the waste, so the exit side splinters less than a plain spade would leave it.
The six sizes run from 3/8 to 1 inch — roughly 10 to 25mm — which is the useful big-hole range. Two limits worth knowing: the hole is still rougher than a brad point leaves, so save it for holes that end up hidden inside a wall or a frame; and the set is imperial only, which matters if you think in millimetres. Joel’s take is that a spade set is one of those cheap buys you don’t think you need until the first time you’re feeding cable through a wall, and then it saves your afternoon. For rough, wide holes it’s the fast, low-cost answer.
3. LYIYEYAN 8Pcs Wood Auger Drill Bit Set — for going deep
An auger is the long, corkscrew-shaped bit built for one thing a spade struggles with: depth. The tip is a small threaded screw that winds into the timber and pulls the bit along its own line, and the spiral flutes — four blades and four grooves on this set — lift the shavings out instead of letting them pack in and jam. Keep firm pressure on the drill as you go; the listing is explicit that these need it to stay steady. That combination is what gets you through a fence post, down a thick beam, or straight through a stud wall for a long cable run.
Eight hex-shank sizes from 10 to 25mm cover the deep-hole jobs a DIYer runs into, and at the lowest price on this page it’s an easy set to keep in the ute for the odd time you need it. Two things to know. The brand is a lesser-known one, so it earns its place on spec and price, with no big-name reputation to lean on — a fair trade for occasional use. And these are carbon steel, made for timber alone: put one through a hidden nail or into metal and you’ll blunt it. For deep holes in wood without spending much, it does the job.
Which bit for which job
The three aren’t rivals so much as a set of answers to different questions, and the tip shape is what sorts them — a spade’s flat blade, a brad point’s centre spur, an auger’s threaded screw (a reference on drill-bit types sets out how each one is built). Reach for the brad point whenever the hole will be seen or has to be accurate — furniture, dowels, hinges, hardware — up to 10mm. Reach for the spade when the hole is big and hidden and you want it done fast: cable, pipe and conduit through framing. Reach for the auger when the hole has to go deep and the shavings need somewhere to go. Get those three shapes and most home wood-drilling is covered.
Two jobs sit just outside this page. If you want a big hole with a flat bottom — a clean recess for a cabinet hinge cup or a counterbored bolt head — that’s a Forstner bit, and we cover those in our best Forstner bit sets guide. If you want to cut a large round hole clean through thin material, like a 65mm hole for a downlight or a door knob, that’s a job for a hole saw — see the best hole saw sets. Match the tool to the shape of hole you need and every one of them comes out cleaner.
A note on buying them. Bits are consumables: they go blunt with use, and that is wear rather than a fault. A bit that turns up snapped, or that never cut properly from new, is a different matter — the ACCC’s consumer guarantees can apply where goods aren’t of acceptable quality, so keep your proof of purchase in case you need to raise it.
The verdict
If you buy one wood set: the Bosch brad-point. It drills the clean, accurate holes that furniture and hardware need, from a brand you can trust, and it covers the sizes most jobs use. Add the big-hole bits when a job calls for them.
If you’re running services through timber: the Diablo spade set. Wide holes, fast, at a low cost — the answer the first time you’re feeding cable or pipe through a stud wall, where nobody will ever look at the hole.
If you need to bore deep: the LYIYEYAN augers. The screw tip keeps the bit on line and the flutes clear the shavings, so a fence post or a long cable run stops being a fight — keep firm pressure on the drill, and keep them in wood and off any hidden nails.
